Chapter 48: The Strong-Willed Woman

This feeling of being able to completely trust someone made Su Meiqin inexplicably happy. She had grown up within a classified division, always bound by countless restrictions, never having any truly close friends. Most of her attention was usually focused on her duties, but during rare moments of leisure, loneliness would sometimes creep in.

Now, facing Kong Zhe, she found herself unconsciously voicing the thoughts she’d usually keep hidden deep within her heart.

“…By the way, your title should be ‘King of Marksmen’!”

While making idle conversation, Kong Zhe took the opportunity to gather supplies from the second floor.

“I told you not to order me around!” Su Meiqin’s almond-shaped eyes widened as she instinctively retorted. But after a moment’s thought, she muttered in a softer voice, “But ‘King of Marksmen’ does sound nice. It suits me well… Let’s be clear, I’m not agreeing because you ordered me. It’s simply because I like it!”

“Fine, fine, whatever you say!” Kong Zhe couldn’t help but roll his eyes. You came up with the name yourself—of course you’d like it.

From the eight monsters he’d just slain, he’d gotten five silver coins and two white-grade items—a pair of shoes and a spear.

He pocketed the coins and shoes, then tossed the spear to Su Meiqin.

She had noticed the white spear on the ground earlier, but since Kong Zhe had felled the monsters, she felt awkward taking it herself. Now that he’d thrown it her way, she caught it out of reflex and gave it a few experimental swings.

She already had a foundation in marksmanship, and now, as a gun-class professional, she’d automatically mastered spear techniques upon awakening. The spear spun with practiced flair in her hands, her movements poised and powerful.

Though the spear was only white-grade, it was still a magical item—far superior to any cold weapon of the technological age. The more she handled it, the more she liked it. After a few swings, she was completely taken with the weapon, stroking its shaft with visible delight.

Catching sight of Kong Zhe, Su Meiqin’s eyes lit up. She twirled the spear, struck a fighting pose, and looked at him with unconcealed eagerness.

Earlier, when she’d been beset by monsters, the pain had been excruciating, but she’d also witnessed how Kong Zhe handled them—dispatching even the fiercest foes with just a few strikes.

Su Meiqin herself was the hand-to-hand champion of her team and rarely encountered a worthy opponent. Now, weapon in hand, she couldn’t help but itch for a spar.

But Kong Zhe only shook his head with an amused smile. “I’m not going to fight you. I know you’re confident in your abilities, but right now, you’re no match for me.”

Seeing her dissatisfied expression, he added, “Believe it or not, your spear techniques look impressive, but most of your moves are just for show—too many useless flourishes. You’d be better off spending that energy on actually fighting monsters and honing your skills. Fighting monsters is nothing like the sparring you’re used to in the military. Here, it’s a matter of life and death.”

With that, Kong Zhe turned away and headed for the stairs.

Su Meiqin pouted, knowing he was right, but still unable to swallow her pride. She was about to retort when she realized he’d already walked off.

“Hey, wait for me!”

She hurriedly put away her spear and caught up, walking beside him. Turning her head with curiosity, she asked, “Where are we going next?”

Kong Zhe, deep in thought, replied calmly, “Let’s check the third floor. I’m looking for someone.”

…

There were far fewer monsters above the second floor. When they reached the entrance to the third, only a few wandering creatures remained.

Most were level-one and scattered throughout the floor, posing no threat to Kong Zhe.

Just as he drew his blade to finish them off quickly, Su Meiqin darted ahead, spear in hand, and charged at a fishman without a trace of fear.

“These are all mine! Don’t you dare steal my kills!”

Her bold proclamation still echoed in Kong Zhe’s ears as he watched, half-amused and half-admiring her courage.

Any ordinary newly awakened individual would have already fled at the sight of so many monsters, but this woman leapt into action without hesitation, as if afraid the monsters would get away. She truly knew no fear.

It was no wonder she could become a supreme powerhouse—such supreme courage was rare indeed.

Since she was so eager, Kong Zhe was happy to take it easy. He watched her for a while and saw that she was handling herself well; the scattered monsters couldn’t threaten her.

Seeing she didn’t need his help, Kong Zhe turned his attention elsewhere.

“Puppy, do you remember Xiaolei?”

He looked down and asked the little dog at his side.

The third floor was spacious, filled with countless rooms. Finding someone wouldn’t be easy, but the dog seemed to retain memories from its past life. If he could use its nose, locating Xiaolei would be much faster.

“Woof?”

The dog tilted its head in human-like confusion.

“Xiaolei—the one you’ve met before. Oh, you know, the one who got you smashed twice!”

The dog’s eyes widened in terror at the reminder.

Kong Zhe’s spirits lifted. “She should be on this floor. Quick, see if you can find her!”

Obediently, the dog sniffed the air, then pressed its nose to the ground, moving about for a while before barking and running in a certain direction. Kong Zhe hurried after it.

On the west side of the third floor was a children’s clothing section, now in utter disarray, clothes and shoes strewn everywhere. The dog led Kong Zhe there, sniffing for a while before stopping in front of a fitting room and glancing back up at him.

A fitting room—a perfect hiding spot.

Kong Zhe knocked on the door.

“Xiaolei, are you in there?”

“Ah!”

A startled cry came from within, followed by a trembling voice: “N-no, there’s nobody here! Please go away!”

Kong Zhe couldn’t help but sweat. Who denies their own presence like that? The girl was certainly adorably clueless.

Confirming she was inside, Kong Zhe didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the handle and pulled hard—the door wasn’t even locked, just held by the latch. With a little force, it swung open easily.

Inside, huddled in the corner and staring at him in terror, was Xiaolei.

She seemed unhurt, with snacks and water at her feet, so at least she hadn’t gone hungry.

Kong Zhe breathed a sigh of relief, but seeing the trembling girl also gave him a bit of a headache.

How should he explain things to her? Was he really going to have to repeat everything from the previous life?

Just as Kong Zhe was worrying—

“Brother Kong Zhe!”

The girl’s delighted voice rang out. She jumped up and threw herself into his arms, clutching him tightly.

Kong Zhe was momentarily stunned. “You know who I am?”

“Of course! You’re Brother Kong Zhe!” Xiaolei blinked her big, pitiful eyes at him. “You finally came to save me. I was so scared!”

She hugged him even tighter, clutching his clothes as if afraid he’d disappear.

Kong Zhe quickly patted her head to comfort her, then asked, “Don’t be afraid. Tell me, what happened? Where did you meet me?”

“In the stairwell!” she replied without thinking.

“And then?”

“Then we went to look for Tuan Tuan, and then… and then…” Xiaolei suddenly seemed to recall something, her face turning pale with fright as she covered her mouth. “I saw you, Brother Kong Zhe, you were… huh?”

She trailed off in confusion. Kong Zhe was standing right in front of her, perfectly unharmed. And they hadn’t gone looking for Tuan Tuan yet.

So how had she met him before?

The more Xiaolei thought about it, the more confused she became, until she was utterly bewildered.

Seeing her eyes spinning, Kong Zhe quickly stopped her and asked a few more detailed questions.

Xiaolei answered each one.

After a moment, Kong Zhe finally understood. Apparently, his rebirth could indeed affect others. If someone had met him in his previous life, seeing him now would trigger memories of their past encounters. The clarity of those memories varied—Xue Feifei, for instance, only had a vague impression, but Xiaolei could call his name and recall past events in detail.

As for why some remembered more and some less, Kong Zhe had no idea. Nor did he have time to figure it out.

Just then, footsteps sounded nearby. Turning, he saw Su Meiqin walking over, shaking blood from her spear’s tip, her expression clearly dissatisfied.

Though she’d smoothly dispatched five monsters and leveled up, she still wasn’t pleased with her performance.

She vividly remembered how Kong Zhe had handled the monsters earlier—his opponents had been stronger than hers, yet he’d effortlessly weaved through their attacks and slain them all.

By comparison, her own performance seemed lacking. She’d had to fight them one by one, and even then, the battle was grueling. Her health and mana were nearly depleted, only restored by leveling up.

It left her somewhat discouraged. She’d expected to be weaker than Kong Zhe, but hadn’t realized the gap was so vast.

What she didn’t know was that if other awakened saw her fretting over this, they’d probably be spitting blood from envy. Ordinary awakened would need at least two people to take on even a single monster, let alone five. Her efficiency was already top-tier, yet she remained unsatisfied.